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Increased belongingness among college students during COVID-19: a potential cohort effect?
Allyson S Graf1, Callie N Bolling1
1Department of Psychological Science, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky, USA.
Objective:
Speculation about the effects of COVID-19, especially on youth social development, has been mixed. This study aimed to examine change in loneliness and belongingness into the first month of stay-at-home orders (January through April 2020).
Participants:
College students (N = 73, mean age = 19.03 years, SD = 1.44 years) enrolled in a life-span development course.
Methods:
Participants completed online surveys at the beginning and the end of the semester assessing change in well-being.
Results:
Results revealed that loneliness scores significantly decreased, and belongingness scores significantly increased from Time 1 to Time 2. Among those who experienced increased belongingness, loneliness significantly decreased while there was not a significant change in loneliness among those who decreased in belongingness.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that increasing belongingness should be a focus when trying to combat loneliness, especially in young adults experiencing a dramatic life event during a critical time for social development.
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